Photo Friday: The Wall

The photo you're looking at was taken in the lobby of Sourcebooks, Inc. I had no idea what exactly was in each of those frames but the row of them was impressive, so I snapped the pic.

When I got back from Chicago, I emailed my editor to ask about them. What I learned is that each framed item represents something Sourcebooks is particularly proud of. Book covers are in many of the frames. Some are there because they are best-sellers. Others are there because the cover art is particularly stellar. And apparently, there are also framed letters from presidents up there. Wow! I wanna be on that wall. No really. I do. So, if anyone from Sourcebooks is reading this - let it be known. Karen Fisher-Alaniz wants to be framed. (couldn't resist)

You hear people talk about a Wall of Fame. But this wall was different. I love the idea of having a wall, or some other place, in your house where you can highlight what you're proud of. It would be more of a Wall of Pride...or something like that. So, if you created a Wall of Pride, what would be on it? What accomplishments would be recognized there?

I'm going to have to think about this one. ~Karen

Photo Friday: For Whom the Drum Tolls (part two)

Since it's been a week since you read part one, let me re-set the scene for you (I think I've been hanging out with screenwriters too much). I've just participated in a day's worth of meetings about my book and the Sourcebooks team has been summoned via drum, to hear me read from my book.

I start to read. I'm a robot. I try to use inflection in my voice, but I'm so stinkin' nervous. My legs are shaking. Not my hands, or my head, but my legs. If something has to shake, legs are a good choice, I think. I've only read about three pages when my mouth goes dry. I don't mean, I need a sip of water, dry. I mean my mouth is a 20-year drought. But I make it to the end of the expected reading. Yippee! Done. Now, let's go home.

But Peter then asks, "Does anyone have any questions for Karen?"

Here's my Marsha Brady moment (you know the one where she's nervous about her driver's test, so she pictures the instructor in his underwear) Well, instead of picturing my teacher in his underwear, I stop everything to admit to my human weakness aka the deletion of every bit of saliva in my mouth! I ask for a glass of water - the one I left in the conference room. I take a polite sip. Then I guzzle and even discretely swish. The questions begin; I'm asked about my dad, about writing, and about research. All questions I have answers to. I slowly realize that I'm liking this. This is fun. I mean, not to sound conceited or anything but what's more fun than talking about yourself or something you know a lot about? Just as I get to the point of wanting to say, "Hey, you guys wanna hang out tonight?", it's over.

This was officially the very first book talk I've ever done. It wasn't stellar. It wasn't even good. But I did it and it was great practice. Will I be able to do it again? Absolutely!

But a few questions remain;
1. How is it possible that stress (apparently) makes saliva dry up?
2. What causes the body to shake when we're nervous? And how does it decide which limb to torture?

Photo Friday: For Whom the Drum Tolls (part one)

Let's be honest, meeting more than a dozen new people, even if they are there to make your book shine, is a little nerve-wracking. Yes, it is! But I loved it. I did really and truly! After a while, I became aware of people coming in and out of the room, taking stacks of chairs. My brain was stuck on my book and I probably wouldn't have noticed if Ronald McDonald was doing jumping jacks in the hallway. But after seeing the stacks of chairs going out, I had one tiny thought, "I wonder what they have going on today?" And then the thought was gone. Back to the book.

Peter had asked if I'd be willing to read the first few chapters of the book to the group at the end of the day. He'd given me a few days notice. "Sure!" says I, enthusiastically. I knew it was coming and I really wasn't that nervous. Until. There always has to be an "until" doesn't there? But I bet you'll never guess what this "until" was!

Setting: inside meeting room after multiple meetings. Late afternoon. Only my editor, Peter and I remain in the room.

Peter: "Well, you ready to do the reading in a bit?"
Me: "Sure."
Peter: "OK. Let me go call everyone."
Me: "OK."

Peter leaves room as I look over papers I'll be reading from.

*BANG-BANG-BANG-BUH-BANG-BANG-BANG*

The deep, earthy sound is completely out of place here.

Me: (thinking) What the heck was that? Man, this place is so darned creative. Obviously, someone is practicing on their conga drum. I bet the artists who created my book cover do not appreciate this (it was veeery quiet in their space).

I peek out the conference room door to see Peter putting the drum down. People are trickling out of their cubicles and offices. They're making their way to...THE chairs. OMG! This is officially my, "I wasn't nervous UNTIL..." moment.

I wasn't nervous UNTIL I heard the drum!

Remember the thought I'd had earlier on the stacks of chairs that kept leaving the conference room? Remember, I was wondering what they had going on? Yeah. Turns out it was ME! Time to be nervous.

And that drum, the one in the lobby of Sourcebooks, surrounded by books and plants, and accompanied by an onlooking bull, was to call all employees to the event.

Peter strolled back into the conference room.

Me: THAT'S how you call people? (ie: ever heard of an intercom?)

Peter: (shrugs) Yeah.

Hmmm... I watch people begin to fill the rows of chairs.Obviously, I am the only one perplexed by the drum. And to tell you the truth, I like it. Who needs technology when you can bang on a drum? I wonder if Sourcebooks employees fight over who gets to do it? OK, maybe not.

Next Time: The Reading

Photo Friday: The Question That's Easy to Answer

One of the questions I was asked during my meetings at Sourcebooks was this, "What do you hope will be the result of your book?" It was easy to answer because I've thought of that a lot. My story is about a father-daughter relationship. It's about finding truth. It's loaded with information about WWII and includes the intrigue of naval intelligence and top-secret code breaking. That's the story. But there are lots of stories out there. What do I hope to accomplish with the telling of THIS one?

That's easy.

I want to start a story-telling revolution. Does that sound over-the-top? Too ambitious? I hope so. Our WWII veterans are dying at a rate of more than 1,000 every single day! And when they are gone, so are their stories. Each one has a story worth telling and a story worth listening to. Many are just waiting for someone to take the time to not only ask, but to listen. WWII veterans are just a microcosm of the rest of the population. Veteran or not, elderly or not, we all know someone who has a story.

We're busy. But are we too busy to learn the lessons life has put right in front of us? I don't think so. It's time to stop and listen. I hope my book will inspire people everywhere to hop off the merry-go-round for just one hour to listen to someone's story. And better yet - to write it down. If not now, when? If not you, who?

Photo Friday: The Meeting

Well, we are finally to the post about my all day meetings at Sourcebooks (my publisher). The photo is of the actual meeting room, where we were most of the day. And yes, I'm the total and complete dork who snapped the pic when I was reasonably sure that no one was looking! My editor, Peter and I stayed put in the room while teams of people came to the room to meet with us. The teams included such areas as marketing, publicity, and sales, and such sub-areas as non-bookstore sales, and museum sales.

I have to say...my mind was sufficiently blown! Each group was well-prepared. Some had power points to help with explanations, others had stacks of notes. It is surreal to hear people talking about your book, your baby, as if it's the most beautiful baby in the world too. I mean, you know it's beautiful. Of course it's beautiful -- it's a reflection of YOU. But to hear people talk about it that way, it's just an amazing experience that I hope all of you get to experience one day!

Unlike horror stories I'd heard, the team at Sourcebooks made a point of making me a part of the team. They asked questions. They were enthusiastic about my book. They offered ideas I hadn't thought of. And when I offered suggestions, they ran with it and made it bigger than I could have thought of. Just amazing!

The hardest question I was asked was, "Who are the first 5,000 people your book will sell to?" And then, "Who will it sell to after that?" Of course, I started with my mom, my sisters, my aunts. But apparently that wasn't the point. Can YOU, my fellow writers, answer those questions? Hard, isn't it?

Chicago Trip: Sears Tower

The Sears Tower (now renamed the Willis Tower) is one of those icons that you've just got to see. It is the tallest building in the world. We decided this was one thing we wanted to see. But the funny thing is that we weren't sure which building it was. Sounds stupid, right? Well, we decided to catch the bus and also walk to it. We got dropped off close...apparently. But we still didn't know just which building it was!
You know that whole, Forest for the Trees, thing? Yeah. Too close to see which one was the tallest. And just to make it trickier, the thing that has helped it to remain the tallest are the tall antenna things on top of the building. Kinda cheating, don't ya think? Anyway- after asking for directions, we finally got to the building. And yes, it was tall. But we also weren't the only ones with the idea. Although it was the off-season, we still had an hour and a half wait just to get the tickets. We wound around and around, while reading interesting facts and playing with interactive computer trivia games too. Finally got to the elevators and it was a 60 second trip up 110 stories! The view from the top is truly stunning. But wanna hear something very strange? It didn't seem that high to me. There is a skydeck where you can stand on a clear glass floor and look straight down. No matter how much logic told me it was no big deal, I still found myself dipping my toe in the water to be sure it was safe. Obviously, I got over my hesitancy -- see photo.

Our time in Chicago winding down, it was time to get back to the hotel and read through the first few chapters of my book. My editor had contacted me to ask if I'd be interested in reading for the employees at Sourcebooks. I said, "Of course!" Yikes! ~Karen

Chicago Trip: Scrapin' the Sky!

You know it's tall when...you stand across a wide street and still can't get the whole thing in your camera viewer. So, you walk a city block away and it still won't fit! The skyscrapers in Chicago were just crazy. Amazing! But what was even more amazing was the little (and historic, we later discovered) blues club below those skyscrapers. Around every corner was a little more history. I love that! Next trip, I will make a concerted effort to learn more, do more, experience more. But until then...I've got some great photos...and memories!

Chicago Trip: Rock and Roll...McDonalds?

From the window of our hotel, I gazed out at the skyscrapers. I never really "got" what people think is so great about skyscrapers. They're just really tall buildings, right? Right. But looking out over the city of Chicago, I marveled at the height of them, the design, the thousands of windows behind which lives were being lived. My eyes scanned the horizon-less horizon. They really were majestic. I mean, just look at how they...wait...is that a...golden arch? Yes, yes it is.

Across the street and a few blocks from our hotel was a huuuuge arch. The "M" of McDonald's arch, that is. So, after a night out, we decided to go to McDonalds for breakfast. Inside, it was nothing like any McDonald's I'd ever seen. Not only was it massive, but it had an escalater which lead to the lounge. Leather chairs and sofas, with live palms behind them and a floor to ceiling window, made a great place to...well...eat a sausage and egg bisquit. Hmmm...why not? This McDonalds was called the Rock-and-Roll McDonalds. And we would soon learn that it was iconic. We gave up asking transit drivers and travelers where our hotel was, and instead said, "It's right by the Rock-and-Roll McDonalds." That got us home every time.

Fueled with a true American meal, we set out to see the city.

Chicago: Precious Cargo

Well, I hate to be redundant, but did I mention that the Chicago style pizza is fabulous? I'm not really a food afficianado, but I do prefer quality over quantity (opposite of my significant other). Anyway - loved the pizza. Did I say that already?

For this trip to meet with the publishing team working on my book, I brought along some precious cargo; a scrapbook and photo album. I'd been sending scans of photos, both old and new(er) over the last few months. The book will include some photos, but after talking to my editor, we thought it was a good idea to bring my father's original WWII photo album and the scrapbook that included all kinds of memorabilia. I packed them carefully in a rolling backpack for the trip. Then I hand-carried it from Walla Walla, Washington to Chicago, Illinois. I felt like I should have one of those handcuff things that locks to the handle and to my wrist. Such treasures, I was carrying.

It was a relief to land with the memories intact. I was tired but after getting situated and resting for a bit, we decided to head out. Did I mention we had Gino's pizza the first night?

Chicago Trip: First stop...pizza!

As promised, this week I am blogging about my trip to Chicago. I meet with the publishing company on Friday. But my husband and I arrived a few days early so we could do a little sight-seeing. We wasted no time getting into the Chicago scene. First stop; food...what else? We went to Gino's for Chicago style pizza. A few hours after arriving at our hotel, I used my new android phone to help us find a good place to eat. And boy, did it ever. We were both starving so when the waiter let us know it would take 45 minutes to get our pizza, we practically glared at him.

But then we got the pizza. Honestly, it looked a bit of a mess. It wasn't carefully crafted to be eaten by hand. The cheese was real mozzarella - not the packaged, pre-shredded kind. The sauce was more of a spaghetti sauce; chunks of tomatoes. The pepperoni wasn't greasy and the crust...oh, the crust. Made right there while we waited, it was just amazing. We ordered our pizza and were both full within one or two pieces. And we were STARVING! Neither of us could believe how filling it was. Absolutely amazing. I highly recommend coming here just for the pizza.

So, that's the story so far. Oh, and notice the wall decor. I'll let you guess what it is! Guess away!